President Xi Jinping Gives a Joint Written Interview to the Media of Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica and Mexico (4)

Q: How do you view the development of bilateral relations between China and Mexico?

A: China and Mexico are both newly emerged economies and large developing countries that serve as a strategic partner and major development opportunity for each other. In April, President Enrique Pena Nieto visited China to attend the Annual meeting of the Bo'ao Forum for Asia. We had a very good conversation and reached important consensus on strengthening bilateral relations. In two months, I will pay a state visit to Mexico. The top leaders of the two countries exchanging visits in a short period of time reflects the great importance that both sides attach to China-Mexico relations.

Since China and Mexico established diplomatic relations 41 years ago, especially since the establishment of a strategic partnership in 2003, bilateral relations have seen great development as the deepening of mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields brought about tangible benefits to the people of both countries. China-Mexico relations have adopted increasing significance in strategic and general terms. The two sides have maintained close communication and cooperation on major global issues and pushed the development of international order and system toward a more just and rational direction. The development of China-Mexico relations has played an important role in promoting world peace and stability.

I am looking forward to further exchanges of views with President Pena Nieto on deepening practical cooperation between the two countries during my visit and to pushing bilateral relations to a new stage.

Q: What mechanisms and measures is the Chinese side considering adopting to promote balanced bilateral trade between China and Mexico? In what industries is the Chinese side planning to invest in Mexico? What policies is China adopting to encourage Mexican enterprises to invest in the country? How likely is it that China and Mexico will sign an agreement on free trade? In which areas will the two sides open up to each other to a greater extent?

A: In recent years, China-Mexico trade and economic cooperation have deepened from time to time and continued to achieve new results. China has become the second-largest trade partner of Mexico in the world, while Mexico is the second-largest trade partner of China in Latin America. Mutual investment between the two countries has steadily grown in scale, while areas of cooperation have continued to expand.

The Chinese side has never intentionally sought surplus in bilateral trade and is ready to join in efforts with the Mexican side to tap into potential, expand the scale and optimize the structure of bilateral trade and seek balance of trade in an active way.

Mexican exports to China have significantly diversified in recent years with an increasing number of electricity and telecommunications products, crude oil, cars, beer as well as agricultural products like tortillas and avocado available on Chinese markets.